Borderlands: It's Better Not to Know
by Leenden
Summary: Some wonderful news sends Brick's world spiraling out of control. Locking him in a battle against is inner animal and the trust he has in his friends. This is a five chapter story I wrote for my wife for Christmas. Comment if you like it. Borderlands is (c) to Gearbox Software.
1. Chapter 1: Ring around the Rosie

Brick glared down at the triangle made from a piece of folded paper, tucked in his hand. Sweat prickled his brow, tickling as it made its way to his temple down along his cheek. It never occurred to him before about how much ambient sounds there were in the war room of the Crimson Raider headquarters. The soft hum of the ceiling fan above sounded like a Buzzer's engine thrumming outside. Patricia Tannis riflled through several stacks of papers on her quest to keep everything neat and tidy, sounding more like an army of old people flipping through the sports sections of their preferred newspapers. Tiny Tina sat across the table from him. The soft whistling coming from her nose sounded like a train whistle as it tore down the line. Mordecai was quietly toking on his cigarette, a sound that would have usually not been a distraction, but under the current circumstance sounded like a vacuum chocking on a rather large hair ball. The stress made Brick's ears sensitive.

There was a tight feeling in his chest. A churning in his stomach pushed him to fight back the dwelling bile that tickled the base of his esophagus. Brick tightened his fingers to a white knuckled state. Everything hinged on this one single flick, he reminded himself. Lingering there was the thought; it was now or never. The muscles tensed in his finger launching it forwards at blinding speed.

"Who has two thumbs and is pregnant, bitches!" Lilith burst through the door.

Brick jolted from the sudden noise. His finger caught the paper football at an angle. It flew off sharply to the left, slamming into the wall before falling dead on the floor in the corner. Brick's greyish blue eyes locked hard on Tina's blue eyes, then fell down to the double L's she made facing one another with her hand. Mordecai rolled his head back and let out a slow rolling laugh, smoke pluming out with each huff.

Tina was up from her seat, both of her arms stretched towards the ceiling. "Boom mutha suckas! I can't believe you blew it, Brickolicious. Now ya gotta take me shootin', blam!"

"Ah damnit!." Brick grunted. The chair creaked under his weight as he leaned back.

"Are none of you assholes even the least bit curious about what I just said?" Lilith thrust her hands onto her hips.

"Sorry, Lil, we were so focused on the on-in-a-million shot that Brick just blew." Mordecai was still chuckling. "What did you say?"

"You guys could fuck up a wet dream, you know that?" Lilith said as she flopped down on the couch. "I was trying to tell you, that...I'm pregnant, but you messed it up."

"Wait...what?" Mordecai sat forward in his chair, putting his cigarette out on the table.

"I dunno, Lil, I think I might have had a little crazy in my ear, but did you just say you're preggers?" Tina gripped the table tightly, looking over at Lilith.

"Yep! I gonna have a baby." There was a definite warm glow to her cheeks.

Mordecai pulled Lilith up from the couch, pulling her into a great big hug. "That's incredible news, Lil. I'm so happy."

"That's awesome, Lil. Who's the proud daddy?" Brick got up from his chair and stretched, cracking his back.

"What's it matter, Brick? We should just be happy for Lilith." Mordecai said, an irritated tone in his voice.

Lilith glared at him and shook her head. "No, Mordy, it's alright. It's perfectly natural to want to know who the dad is. He _was_ an old friend of mine from the Firehawk encampment. Of course, by old friend, I mean we fooled around a few times and didn't want it to become too serious."

Brick didn't make it a point to pry into other peoples business, but he was sure that if Lilith had a friend like that, he would have met him. At the very least seen him around town. It also didn't escape his notice that Lilith had called Mordecai, Mordy. He couldn't recall her ever doing that before. Something swirled in the pit of his stomach, like the fluttering of butterfly wings. No matter how much Brick wanted to think this bad feeling through, he found himself lacking the energy to do so.

"So, I take it he won't be hanging around to see the baby." The words were dry and coarse coming out of Brick's mouth.

"Nah, I'm not even going to tell him." Lilith glanced from Brick back to Mordecai.

"Damn gurl! Gotcherself a dead beat dad, needing a dead beat dad beat down." Tina squealed, throwing up some nonsensical gang signs.

Lilith giggled, the warm glow of her pregnancy threatening to throw out sparks. "No, nothing like that. I just know that he wouldn't be good dad material. Besides, he's kind of a dick. The thought of him hanging around all the time trying to raise my baby is more terrifying than me trying to raise the kid alone."

"Except you won't be raising the kid alone," Mordecai interjected, resting one wiry hand against her bicep.

Brick winced as the fluttering in his stomach grew more wild. "Yeah, Lil..." he forced out. "We got yours and the baby's back. You can count on us."

"Ahem." A pert tone brought everyone's attention around to Tannis.

The beautiful woman was paler than usual. The news must have been more shocking to her than first suspected. Although Brick was well aware of Tannis' lingering fear of social interaction, and her emotional processing disposition, there was something odd about her demeanor now. Patricia Tannis almost seemed happy. At least, the half smile that dwell on her face was sending that type of signal.

"You alright, Patty?" Lilith asked.

"You do realize what this means, don't you?" Tannis' voice was as cold and calculated as it always was, but backed by the smile gave off a psychedelic feeling.

Everyone remained quiet, passing glances between one another, and then, all at once, as if choreographed to do so, they leaned closer to Tannis. Tina even cocked an ear in an animated style as if it would help her hear better.

The smile grew larger across Tannis' face. "This will be the first child born in Sanctuary, ever. Roland's dream of us becoming a free town is finally coming true."

She spoke Roland's name fondly. It was so emotional and uncharacteristic for Tannis to speak that way. It was such a melodious tone that it brought tears to Lilith's eyes. Brick suddenly felt guilty for the uncomfortable feeling that was seeping in. It had been almost a year since Roland died. They had all been too busy to really think about him much. The guilt he was feeling was mirrored in Lilith's face. It seemed that she hadn't been thinking about him, either. _Because she's too busy banging Mordecai!_ A familiar voice echoed in the back of Brick's mind. The giant black dog that lived in the depths of his mind was poking now, as it always did when it was restless for some attention. Brick shook the thought from his head, trying to focus on what everyone was talking about.

"That's awesome. This is some really exciting news. If everything goes well with the baby, then other towns people might start having children too. We can actually work on colonizing this hunk of shit." Lilith's voice seemed to hang in limbo, before she slowly backed towards the door.

"You alright, Lil?" Mordecai followed her closely.

"Yeah, I, ah...just need to lay down. I'm a little wound up." Lilith retreated from the room with Mordecai close behind her.

Brick was already in tow, but Mordecai stopped him. "Nah, man, you stay here. I'm gonna get Lilith home and tucked in. I'll be right back."

Brick stood in the doorway as Lilith and Mordecai disappeared around the corner and down the stairs. By the time he heard the front door close, the fluttering in his stomach had become a raging torrent. The animal inside was bounding around, like a dog that was overexcited to go for a walk. Something was wrong, and Brick could feel it. The way Mordecai had been looking at Lilith...The new concern for her heavy on his face, almost doting. Then Lilith kept looking at him while she talked about the father. Even there at the end, when Brick wanted to follow, Mordecai urged him to stay behind. There had been no malice in his tone, but it still hit Brick hard, like a punch to the gut. Brick always followed Mordecai, that was just how it had been since the beginning. Why, after this new revelation, was he cast aside? _Perhaps so they could share a tender moment in celebration for the coming of their baby._ The animal growled so hard it vibrated Bricks skull.

No, Brick shouted inwardly. There was a sick feeling deep inside causing him to quake. His knuckles were white, fingernails digging into the worn leather of his gloves. The animal inside urged him to go confront them now, before they had a chance to do anything else together. Just out Mordecai's infidelity. Tell Lilith that her betrayal of his trust was death worthy. Love should not be suffered so harshly. Brick sighed shallowly and closed his eyes.

"Well, shit, dudes. Looks like we gonna have to start workin' this shit harder." Tina's voice broke through the haze in the back of his mind.

"I agree. We're also going to have to keep an emotionally stable environment for Lilith's offspring to thrive in." Tannis was almost glowing by this point, it was a good look for her, but one that Brick was almost certain wasn't going to last.

"Whatcha talkin' about?" Tina sat back down in her chair, grabbing a fistful of pretzels from the bowl. "We got, like, nine months or somethin 'til we gotta worry about that."

"Not entirely true. The baby is developing even as we speak. Too much stress on Lilith will put too much stress on the baby. That kind of stress could lead to her having a miscarriage. If that happens...I don't think I need to say more than that." Tannis tapped a pile of papers on the edge of her desk before filing them away.

"Look at you, being all knowledgeable about babies, Pattybofatty. I always pegged you for the type who prefer children being born in their teens." Tina teased through a mouthful of pretzels, crumbs raining down over her chest and belly.

"I assure you, I hate the little varmints as much I hate rednecks, but I would be lying if I myself hadn't thought of spawning a child. I think all women do once in awhile, before common sense kicks in and sets them straight." Even as she spoke, Tannis smoothed down her long red overcoat like a ruffled bird petting down their plume.

"I dunno, sounds like ya got babies on the brain. Now all we need to do is get some baby batter to put a bun in that oven of yours, gurl. Am I right, Brick?" Tina cackled maniacally, chunks of pretzel flying out of her mouth.

Brick didn't respond. He was still standing in the doorway, a lost puppy waiting to be claimed. The torrent in his stomach subsided some, the animal's romping subdued once again. How could he think that Mordecai and Lilith were anything other than friends? Guilt replaced the concern, but it still rumbled in his stomach, making him feel sick. Right now Lilith needed him to be a friend, not a selfish pansy.

"You all right, tall glass of muscles?" Tina used her flirty voice, it was odd and misplaced coming from her young face.

"Oh, yeah. I was just thinking about something." Brick lied, the red tint in his face giving him away.

"I bet! That news musta hit you like a ton of bricks." Tina grabbed another handful of pretzels, tossing a misshapen one at Brick.

"Yeah, you could say that. I didn't even think Lil could get pregnant." Brick mumbled before sitting back down at the table across from Tina.

Tannis made a thoughtful noise, but didn't say anything in response. Instead she continued stacking papers and straightening them. The soft clacking of the papers on the metal desk filled the room. Tina quietly suggested that they resume their game, and Brick agreed. Anything to get his mind of the nagging guilt in his stomach. The last words he spoke lingered in his mind for a long moment, and were gone with a roaring cackle from Tina.


	2. Chapter 2: Pocket Full of Posies

Chapter Two:

Pocket Full of Posies

Brick sat alone in the apartment that he and Mordecai shared. Shared was such a strong word now. It had been months since Mordecai last slept there. He had taken to sleeping on Lilith's couch, so it would be easier and quicker for him to wait on her hand and foot. Through the first trimester of her pregnancy, things seemed to be normal between Brick and Mordecai. They slept in the same bed. Spent some time together. Even enjoyed a romp through the sheets here and there. Occasionally Lilith would call him over the ECHO to come help her with something. But for the most part things seemed to be normal between them.

When the second trimester started though, Lilith was becoming more needy of Mordecai's time. Calling him up in the middle of the night so he could rush out and get her something. A lot of the time it was something easy to get. Other times it was a terrible ordeal for Mordecai to pull off, but he did with very little complaining. In some ways Brick felt that Mordecai was actually enjoying it. As if it were a challenge that he was overcoming or some award awaited him for getting it accomplished.

_Maybe the sex is just that good,_ the animal whispered in the back of his mind. There was a throb deep in his stomach, that almost made him retch. Brick fought back the urge. Mentally scolding the animal for being so unreasonable about the situation. _Why shouldn't I be?_ The animal howled furiously. Mordecai wouldn't do that to me, Brick swallowed hard and sat back on the bed. _Maybe you're right, the animal skulked through the tall grass in his mind. I mean you can't even get him to pick up his clothes off the floor without getting yelled at, but Lilith can send him on a great quest to get her Rakk eggs with out so much as a mumble._

Brick found himself unable to argue that point. The animal was right. Since the second trimester began, he and Mordecai had almost spent no time together. The only words the two of them had spoken to one another, had just been in passing. Any intimacy they shared, consisted of pecks on the cheeks and quick hugs before Mordecai was off. Anything more physically in depth was nonexistent. It had almost been six months since they had last laid together as lovers. _If you still think he's not cheating on you, than you're as stupid as people say you are._ The harsh words sending the retching feeling up to the tip of the throat.

Brick hadn't sleep a full night in a long time. When he closed his eyes at night, all he could see was Mordecai leaving him. Brick hadn't eaten in days. The longer it went between seeing Mordecai's face, killed his appetite. Brick hadn't showered in a long stretch either. It showed in his greasy skin and unkempt face. He was living in a miserable world of darkness and there was nothing he could do about it. _You could confront them you big baby,_ The animal goaded him. Recently the animal was had been coming around more often. Getting more and more punchy as the loneliness wore on.

"I can't." Brick said allowed, not even sure why he did it.

Brick didn't want to confront either of them right now. With Lilith being so close to giving birth to the baby, he didn't want to cause her any undue stress. _Even though that harlot is stealing your man,_ the animal had almost a playful tone in it's rumbling voice. Brick just shook his head, trying to urge the animal away. Brick didn't want anything to happen to the baby. It wasn't the baby's fault, that Lilith and Mordecai _may_ be fooling around. _Are fooling around!_ The giant black dog snapped and started bounding around in the back of his mind. It sounded like thunder echoing in his head, bringing a wave of red through his vision.

"Just stop!" Brick snapped, his voice sounding more like the animal than his own.

_Fine then, stick around and watch them raise their baby. Don't stand up for yourself and just wait to be left all by yourself. You can spend the rest of your miserable life alone, watching them have a family, all because you're too chicken shit to stand up for yourself_. The animal glowered and was gone from his mind, leaving that one terrible seed to grow in the gardens of his mind.

Brick closed his eyes, hot tears welled up and got tangled in his dark lashes. The thought of Brick waiting around to see Mordecai and Lilith raise their baby hurt. Everyday he would see them together, with their little baby. Flaunting their affair in his face, while he just sucked it up like a pathetic beat dog. They would be so condescendingly nice to him, saying things like 'thanks for understand, you're a true friend.'. Then they would ask him to babysit for them. Since it had been such a long time since they had spent any time together. He would do it too. Just sit there and watch the baby that could never be his.

When he opened his eyes, he looked down at his hands. They were laid out in his lap as if they had been holding the child all along. The guilt twisted in his stomach. There was no place for the anger inside of him right now. At the same time Brick didn't want to feel the guilt either. There was no other choice for him. He got up from the bed and grabbed his duffel bag from the closet.

Quick and dirty, he started throwing clothes into the bag. With no other options, he knew he had to get away. Maybe he could go to Lynchwood for a time. Rocco might welcome him back with open arms. There were always things that needed to be done there. Jobs that would keep his mind off this heartache. It would be far easier to just slip away in the night, than it would be to deal with having to confront them. It would be better not to know if they were having sex. In the back of his mind leaving was the only thing he could do. If he left, the possibility would remain a mystery. If he stayed, he would have to face the truth eventually.

Brick pulled the tie strings on the duffel bag tight and hefted the bag over his shoulder. It was now or never. But his feet wouldn't move. Each time he tried to take a step, he was paralyzed. The bag was heavy on his shoulder, but he refused to drop it. At any moment his legs would give up their resolve and into the evening he would escape. Escape the pain of what his friends may be doing behind his back. Leave Sanctuary behind for a more freer life. Free of obligations to his friends. Free from the guilt for having his emotions. Free of Mordecai and his cheating heart.

"I don't want to be free of Mordecai." He spoke, again the voice wasn't his own.

It was a voice choked with tears, that he hadn't even known filled his eyes. It was the voice of someone who was desperately in love and not ready to admit defeat. A voice that trembled at the thought of not having his lover close to him. Brick had to stay in Sanctuary, even if he couldn't be with Mordecai. As much as that thought hurt him, it paled in comparison to the pain of never seeing him again.

There was a loud crackle coming from the headset in his ear. "Hey there tall glass of muscles. Get yo ass over to Zed's double time. The baby is dropping, I repeat baby is dropping. When need a pair of big strong hands to take the package and run with it." Tina giggled through the Echo. "And we all know you're real good at handling packages."

Brick couldn't stop himself from laughing. It had been the first time in a long while since he'd laughed. It was at that moment Brick realized, that he loved Mordecai and always would. They were a family, they were all a family, just on the verge of getting bigger now. The idea of helping Lilith and Mordecai raise their baby wasn't so bad after all. Brick dropped his bag on the bed and headed out the door into the early evening light.

"You can do this Brick." He whispered to himself as he wiped away the tears from his face.

_You keep lying to yourself idiot_. The animal laughed, so close that he sounded like he was running up behind the large man. Brick felt the pain in his stomach return and hurried on before he lost his nerve.


	3. Chapter 3: Ashes to Ashes

Chapter Three:

Ashes to Ashes

Things at Dr. Zed's office was at the very least, hectic. Brick did what he could to focus on what was happening. Lilith lay back on the bed. If she was in pain, it was hard to tell. Whatever drugs Dr. Zed had given her, were working in full force. Tannis, who was decked out in full medical attire, was positioned up by Lilith's head, feeding her ice chips that Moxxi had brought. Moxxi was also wearing medical attire that had been crudely altered. It barely contained her heaving chest. The thought of it made Brick smirk. An inappropriate time and place for him to think about it, but it reminded him of an on running joke that he and Mordecai had going. If boobs were weapons than Moxxi's would be a Torgue Legendary.

A firm kick to the side of his head, from a very soft foot brought him back around. Lilith's soulful yellow eyes locked with his. Brick felt the sick feeling moving back in. It wasn't enough to feel guilty about what she and Mordecai were doing. Now he felt guilty for letting himself laugh a little. The longer he looked into her eyes the more he couldn't look away. Something held his gaze. There was an odd glint in her eyes, that calmed him for whatever reason.

"Brick...oh Brick! I'm so utterly fucking glad you're here." Lilith said all too casually.

The F word had never cut a conversation so sharply. Tiny Tina, who was standing against the wall, giggled and murmured something to Mordecai. He was pushing away from the wall. After a long moment, Brick finally nodded to Lilith. A hot blush sat heavy on his cheeks, from the power behind her gaze.

"We fucking missed you Brick. God the last nine months have been such a fucking blur. I can't remember sitting down and seeing that shit eating grin of your. I missed it" The slew of profanity poured from Lilith's lips, like foam from an irritated champagne bottle.

Mordecai stepped up next to her and kissed her temple. "Shh Lil. That's enough now."

"No, no. It's not fucking enough Mordy. We love this guy." A fumbling finger pointed to Brick. "All of this!" She made a grand gesture with her hands, one of them slapping Tannis across the face as it went around.

"Now see here, Lilith, you need to settle down." Tannis blurted out aggrievedly as she wiped the sweat smear from her cheek with a sanitary cloth.

"Oh sorry." Lilith whispered. "I didn't see you there." Lilith giggled, a forced out uneven giggle.

Mordecai shook his head slowly and looked at Brick through foggy lenses. "Did you end up giving her too much of that stuff, you quack?"

Zed, who had been bopping around the room at his own pace, turned his gaze to Mordecai. "Now quit your bitchin' I gave her exactly the right amount. I may not have..."

Moxxi interjected. "A med school degree...we know! Good god do we know."

"Oh, so I must have mentioned that before then?" Zed came back to the bedside with a sleek looking leather bag. "Isn't this a beauty. I ordered these medical tools from Dahl, especially for this. Thought I could use some precision instruments."

"What are you talking about?" Brick cocked an eyebrow at the good doctor.

"The baby is being born through caesarian, Brick" Mordecai said softly, there was gritty undertone to his voice, the kind of tone that revealed he hadn't been getting much sleep.

"What's caesarian?" Brick straightened up as his trembling gaze drifted from Mordecai's to Zed's.

"It means that Zed is gonna cut her open, like slash!..." Tina burst into a wide array of colorful animations. "Then he's gonna pull the baby out with his bare hands. There's going to be blood everywhere, like oh my god..."

"Tina!" Tannis spat harshly. "Anymore of that, you little gargoyle and I'll remove you from this operating room."

Lilith was hazily giggling. "...blood everywhere. She is just a treat. I hope we have a girl."

"Zed's gonna cut her open. No! No way Mordy. You can't let him cut her open. What if he hurts the baby?" Brick felt a panic rush through him.

"Now, I will have you know. I've done this sorta thing hundreds of times..." Dr. Zed undid the clasp on the glossy bag. "...in simulation of course, but there ain't no difference."

"What!?" Brick found his words catching in his throat.

"Mr. Brick, options are very limited. Dr. Zed is the only one who is capable enough to do this kind of surgery. Have a little faith in him, if you please." Tannis lightly dabbed a towel along Lilith's sweaty brow.

"Mordy!" Brick's gaze was stone against Mordecai's tired features.

Mordecai didn't respond, he just slid his hand slowly along Lilith's clammy arm, to hold her hand. Brick flexed, his stomach lurching tightly. The need too run away was growing inside of him like a flood of anxiety. Moxxi looked up at Brick and smiled at him. The smile would have come across as soothing, if it had not been for Moxxi's predatory demeanor.

"Sugar, you need to relax. You're as white as s sheet."

Brick was grateful for her words and wished more than anything that he could relax. But every time he looked at his Mordecai's feminine hand intertwined with Lilith's, it made him more and more uneasy. He knew now that it was a mistake for him to have come. An ice cold hand rested against his arm, bringing his gaze around to see Mordecai looking at him.

"I'm glad you're here with me." He whispered in a sultry voice, his two toned eyes meeting Brick's gaze.

Brick had not even noticed that Mordecai had pushed his goggles up. When did he have a chance to do it? Why had he done it in the first place? There was a warmth surging through Brick now. The thought of Mordecai pushing up his goggles to just see him, made him feel special. If Brick was a dog, his tail would be wagging uncontrollably. Threatening to break off at the base. It had been the first time in six long months that he had felt any kind of connection to Mordecai. He was rattled from this beautiful feeling by the sound of Zed grumbling.

"Of all the god damned things. How could they get the order so wrong!?" Everyone turned their gaze to Zed, who was brandishing a shiny new ripper blade.

It wasn't far off from the type of weapon the psychos used, except newer and shinier. "I guess we'll have to make do with this."

"Fuck no!" Brick growled, feeling the muscle tense in his neck, his arm muscles rippled.

"Brick, if you don't calm down, they're going to have to remove you." Mordecai leaned closed and whispered to him. "I need you right here with me."

Brick's heart started pounding in his chest. The tension that had so fiercely set it, dissipated just as quickly. Being so close to Mordecai was a beautiful feeling. His coffee and whiskey heavy breath was like a million memories washing over Brick all at once. It took so much effort to not embrace him and give him the sloppiest of kisses. No matter how much he wanted to, Brick reminded himself that this thing was bigger than just he and Mordecai. It was about the baby's safety. It was about the future of the towns folk finally being able to have babies.

"Oh, I see." Zed murmured again as he reach into the bag and pulled out a small wooden box. "Here's all the nice tools I ordered. The ripper was just a free gift for ordering over Echonet. Isn't that something?" The slow southern drawl made it sound much more impressive then it was, barring the circumstances.

"Ooooh! Can I have it Zedadiah?" Tina pranced around the room excitedly.

"Well I don't see why..." Zed turned to get the weapon, feeling a firm slap against his forearm.

"No!" Moxxi glared at him.

"Uh...I guess that's a no. Sorry darlin'." Dr. Zed was stoic as always, not a fleck of emotion was spared.

"Ugh this blows. I wanna a ripper to complete my psycho threads." Tina leaned against the wall pouting, not so quietly to herself.

"Alright. I hope everyone's ready for this." Dr. Zed opened the box, the pale light in the room shimmered off the beautiful looking tools.

That was the last thing Brick remembered clearly. Much of the surgery was spent with his hands covering his eyes. Not that he couldn't stomach the sight of blood. Usually he embraced the crimson sheen. It was one of the things that told him, he was winning. But there was something about seeing the blood of his friends, that left him reeling. So it was the sounds of the room that let him know what was going on. From the cutting of the flesh, to the soft thrum of the cauterizing laser, he listened in.

Out of all the sounds in the room. None could have left such a strong mark on him as the sound of the baby's first cries. That was the sound that brought his impossibly large hands away from his eyes. Brick found the source of the sound. A small baby lying wrapped in a towel. Moxxi worked to delicately clean it off. Each time Moxxi moved, the baby would cry harder. A big powerful cry that urged Brick to jump in. It poked his inner animal into action. _Protect the baby!_ The animal called, but what stayed his hand was the sight of big tears running down Moxxi's face. A smile on her colored lips was so wide. As if she were looking at an angel, after a long night of being chased by demons. The tears were on Brick's face as well. Everyone around the room was gawping and crying. Even Tannis, who had no interest in emotions of feelings, teared up.

When Moxxi lay the baby on Lilith's belly, a wave of excitement washed over Brick. A giddy feeling that made him want to bound around like a giant dog, excited to go out. The baby's skin was dark and beautiful, just like Mordecai. There was no denying that the baby was his now. All of Brick's fears had been realized. Mordecai and Lilith were the proud parents of this beautiful miracle. There was no room for him anymore. The thought was further cemented in his mind, by the soft kisses Mordecai rained down upon Lilith's forehead. The wide smile on his face, as he looked down at the beautiful baby. When he looked up at Brick, he reached for him. _Run!_ The animal yelled. Brick turn on his heels and charged out of the room without so much of a word.


	4. Chapter 4: We All Fall Down

Chapter Four:

We All Fall Down

The desert night was cool against Brick's sweaty skin. The cold metal of the steps cradled his trembling body. Brick wiped at his eyes furiously, trying to fight back anymore tears that might be coming. The animal inside was riled up. It's barking sounded more like laughter. A giant rolling guffaw at his expense. The animal knew the whole time, but Brick didn't want to believe it. _Stupid!_ The word echoed through Brick's head. All thoughts stopped when he heard someone moving up behind him. If it was Mordecai, Brick was terrified of what might happen. If it was anyone else, he had to be prepared to run and hide. Now was not the time for any form of confrontation.

Soft clattering of boots on the metal walkway behind him. "You hurried off in such a rush you didn't get the hold the baby, sugar."

Moxxi's voice, at one time was venomous for Brick to hear. In the back of his mind, the memory of how she had broken Mordecai's heart was still as fresh as if it only happened only yesterday. But hearing her voice now calmed the inner animal. It was woman's secret ability to control a passionate man with words. Brick was fortunate enough to be immune to the charms of women, but that logic didn't hold up to Moxxi. Her secret ability was beyond that of other women.

"I wanna be left alone." Brick tried to control his tear strained voice.

Moxxi moved up to sit next to Brick on the steps, resting her head against his broad shoulder, her hair was drenched with sweat, but smelled faintly of Brickleberry shampoo. "We don't have to talk sweetie. I just want to sit and rest awhile."

Brick wanted to refuse, but this was the most company he had in a long time. Moxxi touched her warm, soft hands to Brick's scarred forearm. He knew she could feel him trembling. Brick was doing a poor job hiding his emotional state from her. In some way he wanted her to know how he was feeling. It would be a relief to talk about his emotional disheveled heart with someone other than his animal. Moxxi started to hum a soft song.

Brick listened for a long moment, recognizing the melody as 'Wake up, Jacob' hummed at a much slower tempo. "That was something else, huh?" Brick said, his voice was tired, showing his age.

"Yep, a real miracle." Was all she said.

"I love babies. My sister was a baby, a cute one at that." Brick fumbled around, trying to keep from slipping back into the dark place he crawled from.

"I'm not an emotional woman, but if you ever want me to cry, just give me a baby." Moxxi wiped at the mascara streaks down her face.

"Yeah. The biggest problem with babies is, they grow up and leave you. Everyone leaves you eventually." Brick rested his chin across his forearms.

"That's true, but in a way it's a tribute to how good of a parent you were." Moxxi shifted around so she could see his face. "If a child leaves the nest, then you've raised them to be confident to try and live their lives. If they don't, then you wind up with Scooter."

Brick couldn't help but laugh. "True dat! The problem is that kids aren't the only ones that leave. Adults do too. I'm going to miss him."

"Who, Scooter? Shit my baby ain't going nowhere it seems." Moxxi giggled, shaking her head so her wet bangs slapped against his arm.

"No not Scooter damnit. I mean Mordecai. He and Lilith are together now and that means there's no more room for big 'ol stupid me." Brick grumbled, pushing a false smile to his lips, in the hopes to stifle the tears the were coming on.

"Sugar, what the hell are you talking about?" The smile fell from Moxxi's face.

Brick realized that they were playing a game of cat and mouse without even knowing it. "I love Mordecai."

"Well no shit, let me alert the Echonet." The glib comment sounded more harsh than playful.

"Lilith and Mordecai have a baby now. They have a family, so they don't need me fumbling around in the middle of it, pining after Mordecai some puppy in love."

"Oh..." Moxxi breathed out heavily. "Mordecai didn't talk to you about this did he?"

"About what?" Brick cocked his head, his patience running thin.

Moxxi got up from her spot on the stairs, running her fingers along his arm. "Come on sugar, lets go have some words with that lanky sniper of yours."

When they walked back into Zed's office, the air was thick with the smell of blood and sanitizing liquid. Zed and Tannis had headed out to get some fresh air. Tina was sitting at the foot of the bed talking to Lilith, who seemed to be alright, but very loopy from the drugs and blood loss. Mordecai paced around the table carrying a little baby bundle in his arms. Talon was perched on his shoulder, clumsily trying to keep her balance. Brick smiled when he saw his love carrying two babies with him. It was a sight that he had always wanted to see. Moredcai with a baby, with their baby. The thought caused his inner animal to rumble.

"Mordecai! How could you not tell Brick about this?" Moxxi wasn't subtle about her attack on Mordecai.

"What? Things were already going to be stressful enough. I didn't want to worry him about it. I was going to sit him down tomorrow and tell him everything." Mordecai spoke softly, trying to keep from losing his temper while he was cradling the sleeping baby.

"Yeah? Well your procrastination fucked everything. It only ended up hurting Brick's feelings instead." Moxxi chewed her bottom lip, even under all her make up Brick could see her face was turning red from anger.

"I was only trying to help." Mordecai grunted furiously.

"Fuck yeah, help a mutha fucka out." Lilith cackled as she swatted at Mordecai, who wasn't standing anywhere near her.

"Easy girl, you're makin' a damn fool of yerself." Tina lightly patted Lilith's thigh.

"Would somebody please tell me what's going on." Brick growled between his gritted teeth.

"By all means, Mordecai. Fix this." Moxxi pointed at Brick.

"Alright! Brick do you remember about a year ago when I got shot and almost died?" Mordecai leaned against the wall, bouncing the baby gently.

"Yeah, of course I do. I sat by your bedside for the better part of two weeks." Brick reassured Mordecai that he remember plainly.

"After that I got to thinking. If anything happened to me, you would be all alone. I couldn't bare to think of you alone in this shit bucket of a world. So I got this idea..." Mordecai stopped talking when the baby started to cry.

Moxxi walked over and took the baby with an expert swooping motion. "You're all stressed out Mordecai. The baby can sense it."

Brick watched with uneasy curiosity as Moxxi popped one large boob from her shirt and masterfully tucked her large nipple into the babies mouth. Even Mordecai was stunned to see her do it. Tina on the other hand was blushing too brightly to even make a peep. Moxxi's eyes drifted from one set of eyes to the another.

"What?! This is one of my many fantastic skills that y'all don't even know about. After having six kids, your twins always stay active and ready to feed a hungry baby. Even if the damn thing isn't yours." Moxxi's accent fell away to reveal her heavy southern drawl. "Now stop staring at me and keep on talking, buster."

"Whoa! You have six kids. I know there's Ellie and Scooter. Who are the other four?" Brick asked his mouth hanging open.

"Never you mind. Just shut up and listen to the explanation." Moxxi shifted her breast slightly to give the baby more breathing room.

Mordecai kept on talking, but his gaze stayed locked on Moxxi. "One day while Lilith was in to see me, I decided to talk to her about my plan. I wanted to have a baby. So that when I'm gone, you'll always have a piece of me around."

"That's a horrible and beautifully romantic reason to have a child, by the way." Moxxi added as she turned her bare breast away from Mordecai's prying eyes.

Mordecai shook his head as if to clear the cobwebs from his mind, that Moxxi's naked flesh had caused. "I knew if there was anyone I could trust to do that for me, it's Lilith. Unfortunately she can't have kids. Something about her Siren powers making it so she can't produce eggs. I dunno the logistics of it and I didn't ask."

"That was when he approached me about it. Now I'm not gonna say I'm too old to have more kids. So what I will say is, after six kids, this body ain't what it use to be." Moxxi added nonchalantly as she continued to move around the room the same as Mordecai had been doing when they came in. "I did manage to keep some of my eggs in cryostasis just in case."

"Dr. Zed suggested that we could use my sperm with one of Moxxi's egg and have a baby that way. But with how unsanitary Pandora is, there would be no way to guarantee the baby's safety outside of a womb." Mordecai explained as he rubbed his frazzled chin hair.

"After running some tests, he was able to figure out that Lilith's womb was healthy enough to carry a child, just not able to conceive one. So after some lackluster magic, Dr. Zed implanted the baby in Lilith and it took." Moxxi added as if they had rehearsed the whole thing before telling Brick about it.

Brick was lost in the hurricane of words that flew around him. Each word smacking against the side of his head, but never quite made it into the ear canal. It didn't make much sense to him, what was going on. Not that he felt stupid. This just was not his area of expertise. Judging by the look on both Moxxi and Mordecai's face, they could tell he was not really following their explanation.

"So you, Lilith, and Moxxi have a baby together. Now you're saying you did it all for me. You're talking about leaving, or going away. I don't know what to do with this Mordy. All I know is that, I love you and I want to be with you. I don't know how to live without you. Please don't leave me for Moxxi or Lilith." Brick's voice cracked as he tried to make himself as small as possible.

"No it's not...like that...She's our baby, Brick. Moxxi and Lilith went through all this crap for us...I'm not leaving you. I need you now more than ever. I can't raise a baby all on my own." Mordecai looked at Moxxi, who was already on the move to stand next to Brick.

"She?" Brick looked down at the baby.

Moxxi pulled her nipple from the baby's mouth and held the little girl out to Brick. "Here's your little girl, Brick."

Brick took the baby in his massive hands. Even all bundled up in Mordecai's red scarf, she was barely big enough to fill both of his palms. Giant tears ran down Brick's face as he looked down at the small child. For a moment his heart stopped. When the baby opened her eyes to look up at him. He was greeted to silvery blue orbs staring back him. Mordecai's dark skin and Brick's bluish gray eyes. But how?

"How can she look like both of us Mordy?" Brick sobbed out as he cradled the small baby to his broad chest.

"Remember the night I came back from the hospital and you were drunk. I..." Mordecai stopped as he looked at Tina.

Moxxi was already on it, clasping her hands over Tina's ears, before beckoning for Mordecai to continue. "...while you were drunk I took some of your cum. The good doctor made a cocktail of both our seed and that's what he used to impregnate the egg. So in essences the baby has two moms and two dads." Mordecai was uneasy about explaining this aloud in front of others.

Brick chocked up again. "So she really is my baby!" His voice was emotionally strained.

"Yours and mine." Mordecai said wrapping his arms around the big guy's waist.

"Oh my sweet god." Brick closed his eyes and rested his cheek against Mordecai's head. "I love you so much Mordy."

"I love you too, amore." Mordecai kissed kissed back, canoodling with Brick.

The wave of emotion washed through him. It was hard to tell what was making him cry harder. The idea that he had been wrong about Lilith and Mordecai all along, or the fact that he and Mordecai were fathers now of this beautiful baby girl. It didn't matter. When he closed his eyes, he could feel the tears flowing freely. For the moment Brick was free of his animal. He could almost see the large Shuck sitting off in the distance looking back at him. The glowing golden eyes didn't reflect sadness or defeat, but instead a hint of pride. As if to tell Brick that he had won the day and should enjoy this victory, because it wouldn't last.

Tina reached up to lightly caress the underside of Moxxi's bare boob that was still hanging in front of her face. Moxxi grunted and slashed out with wild hands. Slapping Tina's hand away, before Moxxi tucking her breast back into her shirt.

Tina looked at the red mark on the back of her hand and giggled. "Totally worth it, Moxximus!"

"Grabba bigga titta for the win." Lilith giggled, her voice heavily tired as she closed her eyes to rest.

Brick started chuckling, which made his sobs sound more desperate. Tears raining down on Mordecai's face. His playful laugh reflected how much he didn't care though. Instead he held his family tightly and gave Brick a strong kiss on the lips. They both knew raising a baby was going to be hard, but with the help of Moxxi, Lilith, and Tina, they knew everything was going to be fine.


	5. Chapter 5: The Wind Blows it All Away

Chapter Five:

The Wind Blows it All Away

The breeze was oddly cool as it whistled through the cave. All day long the sun beat down upon the young woman and her family as they crossed the endless desert. Miles and miles of the hot sun reflecting off of the glassy sand. Pint after pint of sweat that gathered in her tattered, red bandana that bunched up around her neck. It contrasted against her tanned, weather worn brown skin. Sand stained her baggy, black leather vest. It seemed to be swallowing her up, more than she seemed to be wearing it.

A pair of silvery blue eyes traced along the a pair of stone obelisks that rose up from the sand. They marked the graves of her parents. This had only been her second time being here, but she remember ever inch of the stone, having carved them herself, carried them herself, drove them out to the desert by herself. That was the promise she had made her parents, when she was old enough to speak.

Seeing the pair of headstones resting in the sand of her parents special cave, made the three hour drive more than worth it. Those blue eyes traced slowly across the name chiseled into the headstone. To her right, Mordecai. There was no last name, no date of birth, no date of death. Not because she had been lazy, or hasty, but because those things didn't matter. All the mattered was what was etched underneath. Greatest Father Ever. Which he had been. For twenty-five years he'd been the best. Taught her everything she ever needed to know about surviving on Pandora. Mordecai had been so active in her life, right up until the time the dementia set in. It had only been six months after that, when he faded away.

The other headstone read Brick. Again there was no last name, no date of birth, no date of death. Brick had been as good a mother as anyone could ever ask for. Despite his huge stature and well known temper, he had been gentle and tender with her. Taught her to believe in someone above. Taught her to be the best person she could be, no matter whatever happened to her. A lesson well learned, because she always strive to be the best she could be. Not only for herself, but for the looks of pride that washed through both her father's eyes. When Mordecai had taken ill and slowly slipped away into his own world of confusion, the emotional strain had been too much for Brick to bear. One night he went to sleep and didn't wake up. Died of a broken heart, she comforted herself with her assumption.

The thought always caused a lump to form in her throat. Even though her eyes fluttered, no tears came. She was much too strong for crying now. Her fathers' had left her more than prepared to face life. For that she thanked them, this time would be no different.

"I love you daddies." Her voice was sandy sounding, with a hint of an unknown accent at the back of her throat.

A voice called to her from the mouth of the cave. "Alright Mandy, bring your ass on. It's getting late and little Roland needs dinner and a bath."

The mocking, shrill tone was enough to push the girl up to her feet. " Alright Tina, hold onto your butt. I'm coming."

Mandy turned to look at the headstones once again and smiled. "I hope you don't mind daddies, but I gotta go. The ol ball and chain is calling me home."

Mandy touched her lips with her gloved hand and blew a linger kiss to the pair of headstones. Then she turned and walked out of the cave, blinking as the sun struck her sensitive eyes. Quickly she pulled down her goggles to shield her eyes from the light.

A scrawny looking woman was standing next to an old rusty runner. In her arms was a pale looking child, nursing frantically on one tit. There was a smile pushed across the woman's thin lips. Her dark blue eyes were glowing as she looked down at the child clutched against her. Her blond dreadlocks were pulled back into a ponytail to keep them away from the grabby infant.

"Sorry about that Tina." Mandy spoke, her boots crunching through the crisp sand.

The woman looked up at the sound of her name and licked her dry lips. "Oh I was just jerking you off, I'm not really all that mad. Beside baby Roland will be just fine as long as he's booby milk on tap."

Mandy giggled and kissed the woman on her cheek, only to have her love turn her head just in time for their lips meet in a more romantic kiss. Mandy couldn't help but notice that Tiny Tina was growing more affectionate and opening up, since she started getting help for her baby blues. Mandy blushed, offering a shy smile like she always did when they shared a tender moment. Mandy pulled her glove off and rest a sweaty palm to the babies cool forehead. Two deep brown eyes rolled up to meet her's, but his lips didn't falter around Tina's nipple. Instead he increased his suction as if Mandy had come to take his milk.

There was the sound of a mocking voice coming from one of the back seats to the runner. "Sorry for blah blah blah."

The voice belonged to an older looking woman. Still beautiful and dignified in a way. Her once red hair had faded to a milky pink color. Most of the wrinkles she had, were hidden well from the naked eye. The ones that did show, she wore with pride. Even though she seemed like a light that was flickering out. Her sharp wit and brilliant yellow eyes, let everyone know that she was still running the show.

"When she called you out here, I was so sure that I heard a whipping noise." The older woman chortled snidely at her own joke.

"Oh har har, Lilith. You know how important this is to me." Mandy unzipped her baggy leather vest and pulled it off, holding it out to the woman in the back seat.

"More than you know." Lilith whispered as she reached out to take Mandy's vest from her.

"What was that?" Mandy leaned into the runner, the light blue tattoos that ran from her neck down her shoulder and along her left arm pulsed with a cool blue light.

"Oh nothing dear, you know how us old people are." Lilith smirked up at Mandy.

A warm wind blew by, bringing Mandy's gaze towards the direction the wind was going. In the distance she saw something amidst the heat waves radiating off the sand. At first she couldn't make it out, but after a long moment of studying the black blob, it became clearer. It looked like a large dog sitting in the distance. Perched on it's shoulder was a great big bird. They were both looking at her. Instead of fear pushing through her, she felt a warmth inside. A strange comforting feeling. What were they?

Tina cursed under her breath as she climbed into the runner. "Damnit! You split my nip you little gargoyle." There was a pained tone in her voice.

The noise had brought Mandy back as she looked in at her wife. When she looked back in the direction of the dog and bird, they were gone. Mandy smirked and shook her head. Obviously she has been in the sun too long.

"Little bastard won't give up the tit." Tina panted and adjusted her bra over her sore boob.

Mandy chuckled as she slid into her seat. "I guess he takes after me, after all."

Tina cackled and shook her head, a disgusted grunt came from the back seat followed by a stern. "Let's just get back to Sanctuary, before I throw up."

The runner peeled away from the cave, throwing up a cloud of dust behind them. Mandy smiled and looked back over her shoulder at the mouth of the cave as it disappeared behind her. Silently she prayed for god to tell her daddies that she loved them so much and to thank them for teaching her how to be the best person she could be.


End file.
